Police Recommend Soft Lockdown at Harrison Elementary

UPDATE, 5:05 p.m.: Twin Falls Police Lt. Terry Thueson told News Radio 1310 that his department recommended a soft lockdown at Harrison Elementary School on Thursday because officers were serving a search warrant in the 400 Block of Filer Avenue East.

Police were concerned "because school was ending about the same time," he said. "So we requested the school go into a soft lock down to alert parents so they could pick up their children instead of letting them walk through the area on their way home."

He said the warrant was served without incident.

Original story

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KLIX) – The Twin Falls School District put one of its schools on a soft lockdown Thursday afternoon.

The soft lockdown was initiated at the recommendation of the Twin Falls Police Department, said district spokeswoman Eva Craner. As of about 4:15 p.m., she did not know if the lockdown had been lifted.

She said the school was put on the soft lockdown, which means entry doors to the school were locked, after 2 p.m.

“The timing was a little challenging, of course,” she said, because school gets out at 3 p.m. Harrison sent out auto calls to all parents, notifying them that if their child rode a bus home they’d arrive as usual, but requested that if a child walked home from school that a parent or guardian pick the child up.

Craner did not say why the police recommended the soft lockdown or why authorities urged that children not walk home on Thursday, but News Radio 1310 has reached out to authorities to find out more. According to a report by KMVT, however, police were executing a search warrant in the area near the school.

Craner said there were after school activities planned and some students and staff remained inside the building.

“Safety is always a priority for our staff and if they need to stick around a little later than usual to make sure students are safe, they’re OK with that,” she said.